Originally published on the Frontline Health Workers Coalition blog.
Imagine being a novice midwife in rural Zambia. You’re working in a peripheral health center in a remote area where you are the only health worker. You are totally alone except for a cleaner and a guard. You regularly confront emergency obstetric and newborn care cases where there is no time for referral. You must act in the moment alone and do the best you can under sometimes dire circumstances.
“Some emergencies cannot b...

This post originally appeared on MotherToBaby's Blog. Used with permission.
By Bethany Kotlar, MPH, MotherToBaby Georgia
As a teratology information specialist, I counsel women and their families on medications, chemicals, herbal remedies, and illnesses that could harm developing babies. So as the Zika Virus, a viral infection that can cause severe birth defects including microcephaly (a condition where a baby’s head is much smaller than expected, and may indicate a baby’s brain has not devel...

Is it Important to Breastfeed My Baby?
Breastfeeding is a wonderful way to care for your baby. Breast milk is perfect food for babies. It has all the right nutrients in just the right amounts. The World Health Organization (WHO) says that feeding your baby only breast milk for the first 6 months its life is the best way to keep your baby healthy. WHO suggests continuing breastfeeding along with other foods for the second 6 months.
How Can I Tell if I'm Making Enough Milk?
Right after yo...

One quiet night after midnight, in a lull between labor patients, my midwifery preceptor took me on a tour of the hospital where I was doing my clinical rotation. I had been there for a few months but coming and going through the OB doors I had no idea how the rest of the hospital was laid out.
Like Nancy Drew investigating quiet corridors with soft steps and lowered voices, we made our way over to the med surg floor. We introduced ourselves to the nurses who were surprised to learn that midwiv...

May 5—Today, as we celebrate International Day of the Midwife, thousands of families in Malawi recognize the important contributions midwives have made for improved maternal, newborn and child health. In partnership with other health care providers and communities, midwives helped Malawi reduce child mortality over the past fifteen years as part of the Millennium Development Goals. Malawi is only one of a handful of countries to boast this achievement. Yet, newborn deaths remain quite high in Ma...

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